Golf Lessons: Driver Tips

Benjamin Barrone is an avid golfer from Chicago, IL. Professionally, Mr. Barrone recently helped a local Chicago startup complete their Series A financing round. Benjamin (Ben) has become passionate for the growing startup culture in Chicago and is looking to build on his recent success. Ben currently carries a USGA handicap index of 7.9 and is looking to improve upon that during the 2018 golf season.

Mr. Barrone admits that driving accuracy is not a great strength of his game and is looking to improve that for the 2018 season. The following are tips which may improve overall driving:

Shorter length shafts in driver and 3 wood. Benjamin is a fairly long hitter and is primarily concerned with accuracy. Traditional shaft lengths have crept in recent years and may compromise accuracy. Shortening the shaft lengths by an inch or more may help you hit more fairways.

Commit to a shot shape. Mr. Barrone can generally work the ball left-to-right (fade) or right-to-left (draw) when he chooses. By always committing to one shot shape there is a much greater probability of hitting the fairway. To start pick the opposite side of the fairway you expect the shot shape to move to (left side for fade, right side for draw). If the shot stays straight, it should stay in the fairway. If it moves as expected, it has more fairway available to hit.

Slow down tempo – often times golfers with try to “kill it”. As a result, the transition at the top may be jerky and load the shaft too soon. The ironic result is a golf shot that not only is likely to be further offline, but also loses ball speed and distance.

Mr. Barrone is hoping that following these tips will help improve his driving accuracy and lower his handicap in 2018.